GEORGE NEWS - Ilana Viljoen, former Outeniqua High learner and daughter of the renowned surgeon, Dr Michael Ray Sunshine, and Ansie Sunshine, operational manager of the theatre at the George Provincial Hospital, recently made news in the academic world when her master's degree won Best Paper 2025 at the International Business Conference (IBC) at White Sands, Tanzania, on 23 September.
Viljoen matriculated from Outeniqua High in 2016 and started studying BCom Industrial Psychology and Labour Relations at the North-West University in 2017.
In 2020, she enrolled for her BCom Honours in Industrial and Organisational Psychology while working part-time. During this period, she gained valuable experience in medico-legal work and risk propensity training within the mining industry. She began her Master's Degree in Industrial Psychology in 2021 and passed the Industrial Psychology Board Exam in February this year, thereafter registering as an industrial psychologist with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). Viljoen is an exceptional student who completed her BCom, honours and master's degrees cum laude.
Ilana Viljoen at the IBC that took place at White Sands, Tanzania, in September.
Much to her surprise, Viljoen's supervisor informed her in August that she had developed a summary article based on her studies and had submitted it to the IBC for consideration for the best paper award in multiple categories (human resources, marketing management, business management, entrepreneurship and managerial economics, among others).
To her delight, the paper made the top five and was ultimately announced the best of 2025 during the gala awards ceremony.
The submissions are assessed against a rigorous, multistage review process, starting with an initial desk review and then proceeding to a double-blind peer review by both local and international experts.
By winning this award, Viljoen demonstrated that her paper met the exceptionally high standards of content, correctness, clarity and validity expected at the IBC, which has a strong reputation for quality.
About the research
Viljoen chose the following topic: 'Investigating the Relationship Between Job Stress, Risk Propensity and Emotional Intelligence in the Mining Industry', and was supported by her supervisor, Prof Cara Jonker, and Prof Leon de Beer.
Given the mining industry's significant contribution to South Africa's GDP, its high number of fatalities and its inherently hazardous nature, Viljoen became intrigued by how employees' levels of risk propensity, job stress and emotional intelligence impact human error and safety outcomes. The mining sector is characterised by complex decision-making, high job stress and continual exposure to risk factors that make workplace accidents frequent and human error a major contributor.
Understanding the psychological mechanisms that link stress, emotional intelligence and risk propensity, and therefore decision-making, is essential for improving both safety and productivity in such environments.
Her findings showed that when employees experience increased job stress, they are more likely to exhibit erratic risk-averse behaviour. Therefore, when they experience job stress, they tend to become more cautious in their choices, and they were less likely to take quick or impulsive risks. She also found that when employees focus on regulating their own emotions, they tend to display lower job stress and support consistent decision-making.
However, when they focus too much on other people's emotions, it can distract or overwhelm them, causing them to make unsafe decisions and ultimately leading to erratic risk-taking behaviour.
Finally, they found one indirect effect: self-regulation reduced erratic risk-taking, but only by lowering stress. Practically, this means that safety interventions should not only enforce compliance, but also develop emotional skills, particularly self-regulation.
Ilana Viljoen shares a proud moment with her fiancé, Innes van Lill, a financial manager.
Viljoen is currently employed by Lindy Emsley as an industrial psychologist, where she is involved in medico-legal assessments and report-writing, as well as broader organisational psychology functions such as psychometric assessments, recruitment and selection, payroll support and related organisational initiatives. Her passion for writing and medico-legal work continues to drive her professional growth and commitment to excellence in this field.
What about the future?
Viljoen is in the process of registering for her PhD in Industrial Psychology, as she aspires to dive deeper into this topic. She is also looking forward to getting published soon.
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